The present invention relates to support cushions or pillows and more specifically to the field of support cushions used for travelling when seated up-right or in a semi-reclined position.
In the competitive marketplace of commercial carriers, the niceties and services continue to diminish and the space provided for a traveler continues to shrink; it is now imperative that the traveler prepare for his own comfort during an extended transit. This applies equally to airline and over-the-road carriers. Passenger comfort is also a concern when traveling in private automobiles, a sleeping child contributes to parental bliss during a long trip, while an uncomfortable child can make a trip nearly unbearable for everyone in the car.
The single most important factor for a comfortable and enjoyable long drive or flight is the ability to sleep for at least a portion of the time. This is especially true on flights, such as San Francisco to Tokyo or New York to Kiev where the flight will be in the air between 10 and 12 hours non-stop.
Another recent phenomenon that has occurred in the world of travel is the “red-eye” flight or over-night bus trip. As the price of travel continues to increase, savvy passengers have found that flying or travelling during off-peak hours is significantly less expensive. A business traveler may book a mid-night Sunday flight cross-country to arrive at work on Monday morning, in this case sleeping throughout the course of the flight is the only way this type of schedule is possible.
People attempting to find comfortable pillows for travel explains the myriad of travel pillows available in airport convenience stores, through in-flight magazines, retailers and online. Many travel pillows are simple rectangular pillows, inflatable pillows or the ubiquitous “horseshoe” that fits around the traveler's neck. Simple rectangular pillows and inflatable pillows are difficult to keep in place and do little to support the head when seated. The horseshoe shaped pillow provides a cushion between the seatback and the neck and restricts the user's head from falling completely onto his or her shoulder; however, this device provides little lateral support, does not cushion the user's head and provides no vertical support for the neck. When the user's head is allowed to rest with the neck craned or cervical spine in a non-aligned position there is a strong possibility that the user will awake with a sore or “kinked” neck.
Some devices have attempted to address the limitations of the conventional pillow or cushions, like CONTOURED TRAVEL PILLOW, U.S. Pat. No. 4,031,578 to Sweeney, filed May 20, 1976 or the TRAVEL PILLOW, U.S. Pat. No. 6,010,192 to King, filed Jul. 29, 1998. Each of these devices provides cushioning and some lateral support, but omit any support for the vertical component. Yet another device, TRAVEL PILLOW PROVIDING HEAD AND NECK ALIGNMENT DURING USE, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/831,829 to Tansingco, filed Oct. 22, 2009 does provide some lateral neck support and vertical support it does not provide any cushioning for the back of the user's head.
What is needed is a travel support cushion or pillow that provides ample lateral support, vertical support and cushioning for the user's head.